Winston & Strawn is in talks with Taylor Wessing’s UK arm over a possible merger, it has emerged.
The deal would create a law firm with more than 1,300 lawyers and revenue of around $1.6bn (£1.2bn), should it go ahead, an amount that would put it just outside the top 40 in the Global 200, according to data published by Law.com.
Winston & Strawn and Taylor Wessing UK confirmed the merger talks in a joint statement, saying a tie-up would “build upon the complementary strengths, shared ambitions and combined international reach of the two firms going forward. However, there is nothing to formally announce at this stage, so we will not be commenting further at this time”.
Taylor Wessing is itself the product of a merger, having been formed in 2002 through the combination of UK firm Taylor Joynson Garrett and German firm Wessing & Berenberg-Gossler.
It later expanded into other European countries as well as China and opened two representative offices in the US, though the organisation as a whole was never financially integrated and has operated as a Swiss Verein since 2018. The firm focuses on sectors such as technology, life sciences and media and is particularly known for its strong IP offering.
The possible tie-up with Winston & Strawn is expected to see Taylor Wessing’s European Verein split, with the German and French partnerships outside the merger talks, but the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland and Middle East offices reportedly being part of the discussions.
For its part, Taylor Wessing UK has around 400 lawyers, including 120 partners across three UK offices and an office in Dubai, while Winston & Strawn houses approximately 900 lawyers, who work out of 10 US offices, Brazil’s São Paulo and three European offices in London, Paris and Brussels.
With 14 partners, Winston & Strawn’s London arm is relatively small for a leading US firm, potentially allowing for a smooth integration with Taylor Wessing’s London office.
Taylor Wessing’s UK business grew revenue by 15% to £283.7m in FY2025, while profit per equity partner (PEP) jumped 20% to push past £1m for the first time, hitting £1.1m. Meanwhile, Winston & Strawn brought in revenue of nearly $1.3bn in 2024 against PEP of $3.5m, according to data published by Law.com.
The Chicago-founded firm is known for its strength in high-stakes litigation, particularly in complex commercial, antitrust and sports law, alongside robust corporate, M&A and private equity capabilities.
News of the firms’ merger talks comes just a few weeks after Ashurst announced plans to merge with US firm Perkins Coie, a move that will create a top-20 global law firm with around 3,000 lawyers and revenue of $2.7bn if approved by the partnerships of both firms. That followed the large US-UK mergers between Herbert Smith Freehills and Kramer Levin earlier this year and Allen & Overy and Sherman & Sterling in 2024.
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